Basic Skills Needed in Ice Hockey

The following skills are needed in hockey. Beginners may not have all the
skills but during practice they learn many of them. It takes a long time
to be good at all the skills. That is why in all the hockey league they
insist on regular practice.

Skating

Skating is the first thing that needs to be learnt to play hockey since
it is impossible to play hockey without skating. Skating will help with
other skills needed to play hockey. When starting to skate forward
after stopping, long strides are required but once the you pick up speed
you would need to take short strides.

Stopping

If you can skate very fast you will need to know how to stop. It will
allow you to prevent from colliding with other players and the sides of
the rink and also allow you better control of the puck. There are many
different types of stops but the hockey stop is the most essential.

Turning

Turning is needed when you need to move to the side without stopping.
A quick way to turn is doing crossovers where the leg opposite to the way
you want to turn is lifted over your turning leg and your turning leg coming
back into normal position.

Stickhandling

Stickhandling means the ability to move the puck on the ice with your
stick while skating. It is important when trying to keep the puck from
your opponent.

Passing

Hockey is a team game and requires that the puck be passed to your
team members who might be in a better position to move it away towards
the opponents goal. Passing is very important because passing gets the
puck to your teammate and without passing you would not be able to get
the puck out of an blocked area.

Taking Shots

Taking shots is what will get the puck into the opposing net. There
are 3 kinds of shots. A slapshot; a shot which is very fast but takes time
complete. The wrist shot; an accurate medium speed shot in the air, that
takes less time than the slapshot to complete. The snapshot; a shot similar
to the wrist shot but not in the air.

Pushing Off

Pushing off is the ability to pick up speed quickly after
you have stopped.

Deking

Deking is needed to trick your opponent. You pretend to skate or take
a shot one way, once your opponent follows you that way, you skate or take
a shot the other way.

Checking

Checking is a defensive skill where your objective is to take the puck
away from your opponent. There are many different types of legal checks
and many different types of checks that will result in a penalty. A sweep
check is when a player knocks their opponents stick away from the puck.
A Lift check is when a player lifts their opponents stick off the ice.
The poke check is a skill where the player pokes the puck away from the
opponent handling the puck.

Goalie Skills

If you are a goalie you will need to know skills that are vastly
different than the other players. When there are no people taking shots
at you should wait in the ready stance. The ready stance is when the goalie
is leaning forward, with their chin up and knees that are bent and together.

Goalies need to know how to save a puck. There are 6 kinds of saves.
A V-save; a save where the goalie uses his/her legs to save the puck. A
blocker save where the goalie uses his/her blocker to deflect the puck.
A glove save: a save where the goalie uses his/her catcher to catch the
puck. A deck save; a save where the goalie throws their body flat, in front
of the net with their stick out as far as it can go. A stick save; where
the goalie uses their stick to stop the puck. A cover up: a save where
the goalie drops on the puck.